Preseason hoopla!

The big 3 (Hall, Eberle, Paajarvi) are in training camp right now, trying to make the team.  I believe all three will make the Oilers and start the regular season in Edmonton.  The Oilers beat the Canucks last night in the first pre-season game in which the Oilers left most of their starters at home except Horcoff and Eberle who played well together.  Tonight is the first home pre-season game and first Taylor Hall game.  The town is excited and ready to cheer for Hall and the entire team.  Myself?  I love me some Hemsky.  He is the best player on the team and he needs to rebound from shoulder surgery last year.  He is very important to the team.  Hemsky is now a veteran and needs to lead this team.

The lineup for tonight:

Hemsky - Gagner - Hall
Penner - Cogliano - Paajarvi
Reddox - Fraser- Brule
MacIntyre - Pitlick - Omark

Smid/Foster
Belle/Plante
Petiot/Gilbert

Dubnyk/Deslauriers

Khabibulin will not play quite yet.  Maybe on Sunday?  They're going to have to get him in for three or four games.  He needs the work.  He hasn't played since last November.  He was convicted of extreme DUI last month and sentenced to 30 days in jail.  He is appealing his sentence and therefore is in camp and ready to play.  We don't know how long the appeal process will take or if he will play the entire season.  So the Oilers are in limbo and can only hope he can return to form and play the entire season, and if necessary, serve his jail time in the off-season.  We wait.

It's almost hockey time.  It's been a looooooooooooong five months.

As a side note, I've been asked to write a weekly blog/article for The Fourth Period on the Oilers.   I'm honored to be asked and look forward to continue writing for this blog, contributing occasionally to Oilers Jambalaya and now to The Fourth Period.  My first article went up a couple weeks ago on the Oilers off-season.